igli experiences with elena

"Igli" (ee-glee) in Macedonian means needles, and Elena is my Macedonian name. Yesterday was my first day with the knitting workshop. Oh, what an experience it was!!

Gef (the missionary who was translating for me) said she didn't want to try to knit - she would just translate. However, I had different plans. lol I made her at least TRY - and she did...but then the quit right after starting to try. So, we went to me explaining it and her translating, which didn't work out very well either. In the end, I went around the group and worked with one or two ladies (while the others patiently waited their turn).

I silently showed them how to knit.

Wow. Have you ever had to explain something very complex and tedious to someone without using words at all? Okay, so I did use "dah" (yes), "ney" (no), "dobra" (great), and "cecha" (wait) while I worked with them. But, for the most part, it was me either using my own yard and needles to show them the steps in knitting or me actually taking their hands and going through the movements with them. What an amazing experience! I was a little iffy about actually moving their hands for them, and it took a minute or two for them to loosen up and allow me to move their hands in fluid motions. However, the best way to learn this skill is to actually feel the movements that are involved in knitting, and it went very well. Some of the ladies would get frustrated, but rarely did they give up. They kept plugging alone. One lady, who got pretty irritated and frustrated with the process, ended up doing some of the most beautiful knitting. I was so incredibly proud of her.

By the end of the session, many of the ladies would call out, "Elena! Help me!" This always made me smile because it let me know that they were warming up to me and having fun with the process. It became more personal for them than something an outsider was trying to explain.

After thinking about my igli experience, I began to realize that sometimes this process is the same that we have with God. I'm not sure about you, but sometimes I feel as if God is being silent with me. I know that He shows Himself in many ways, but there are times I feel that He isn't speaking and I'm not able to see His hand or His face.

During these silent times, God takes my hands, my feet, my mind, and He moves them in the way that they should move. He helps me to feel the movements that are associated with living in His will. I may not feel like I can see His hand in my life, but if I become still and rest in Him, I realize that I can feel His hand in my life - much more than I ever realized.